Glasgow: National men's lawn bowls singles player Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple will approach every group-stage match at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as a knockout encounter under the event's new competition format. Izzat Shameer, who will be making his second appearance at the Games after competing at the 2022 Birmingham edition, said the new format allows only the group winners to advance to the next round, compared with the top two players previously.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, this requires every player to be at their best from the opening match, as any slip-up could end their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals. "For me, the group-stage competition is no longer the same this year. We need to give 100 percent in every match. I am treating every group-stage match as a knockout game," he told Bernama when met at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Centre, the venue for several sports including lawn bowls.
He admitted to feeling slightly nervous as the first Malaysian athlete to begin competition, but was confident of overcoming the challenge when he takes on an opponent from the Falkland Islands tomorrow. The Games will run from July 23 to Aug 2. He said the pressure remained manageable thanks to thorough preparations, including a training camp and friendly matches since arriving early in Scotland.
"We arrived about a week before the competition. In terms of adapting, even my sleeping schedule has improved and I feel much more comfortable now. I also had the opportunity to play two friendly matches against Scottish players. I won the first match, and although I lost the second, it was a good contest. It has really helped boost my confidence," he said. He added that the warm-up matches had also given him an early indication of the strength of the host nation, who is considered among the leading contenders at this edition.
Meanwhile, national women's pairs player Aleena Ahmad Nawawi said the new format gives her and partner Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman a slight advantage. Aleena said they had just competed at the Australian Open, which also used the same format, giving them valuable experience ahead of the challenge in Glasgow.
"The new format only takes the group winners. So we have a slight advantage because we have just returned from the Australian Open, which also used the same format. Hopefully, we can make use of that experience here. We need to maintain our performance in every match and keep chasing victories to ensure we reach the semi-finals," she said. The women's pairs competition is scheduled to begin on Friday. The national lawn bowls squad are targeting two medals of any color at the Games.